Belt-tightener.



J. P. GERMAN.

BELT TGHTBNBR.

PPLICATON 'FILED PEB. 8, 1913. 1,081,286. Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

sfrnzrns PAENT omnes.

JHN P. GERMN, 0F SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

instaan.

Specification o f Letters Patent.

' Patented Deo.9, 1913.

Application led February 8, 1913. Serial No. 747,180.

l with the device, the counter-shaft by the Ait :E ill simple operationof swinging or shifting the arrn, will be caused to approach and recedefrom the main. .power shaft; and the counter-shaft 'will also be movedtoward and `from the machine or tool on the iioor that is driven fromthe counter-shaft, to slacken the driving belts, or to tension the same.

in the accompanying drawing showing one embodiment of Imy invention,Figure l is an elevation oi thedevice shown as belted to drive a shafton the door. Fig. 2 is an end 'elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1.liig. 3 is a plan view. Figli is a side elevation enlarged of one of thehangers. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 indicated in Fig.

` 4t; Fig. o is a section through the'adjustable connection ot thedepending arm,.and Fig. 7 shows the carrier adjustment.

is shown in the drawing a hanger device,

L; prwidedthat is composed of two hanger members denoted generally by 8.and 9, that.

are substantially identical: Ti-ha han ers are each composed of a trainel in the iorm oi a ring, with a pair oi legs l1 and i2, having flangeportions 13 and 11i for securing to the ceiling or' other convenientplace. VIn the circular bore of the ring is rotatively mounted acarrier, that is shown of annular form, comprisingr a ring l having alangei for engaging the hanger. The carrier 1s provided with asupporting portion 17 containing" an opening adapt-ed to receive ajournal bearing 19 that is suitably mounted therein,

lrcgtelnbly by being adjustably located `in the opening by the usualbolts or screwsv 20 and 21 located on opposite sides of the opening.These journal bea-rings it will be observed, are eccentrically locatedin the carriers, and they are so adjust-edby the screws that the shaft22 carried by the bearings will be parallel to the common axis ofthe twocarriers. Therefore if these two carriers are swung; in unison in thehangers the shaft will be shifted.

Means are provided vlfor swinging the two carriers inA unison, and theyare shown as rigidly connected to a crossmember. This member denotedagenerally by 23 has arms .ll and 25 at its ends, that are secured to thetwo carriers or ringsl 15. Themember 23is shown as lengthwiseadjustable, comprising a portion'Qfi connected with anotherlportion .l

27 by an'intermediate bar 2S; and such oonnection4 is by means ofboltsp29 passing through slotted apertures n one o the members.V By thismeans the two hanger mem.

bers` S and 9 can have their distance apart varied in order toaccommodate dierent lengths of the counter-shaft 22.

The counter-shaft 22 is shown as driving a shaft :2.0 oi' a machine onthe floor through a belt1 31 connecting a pulley 320m the shaft 22 witha pulley 33 on the shaft 30. v l' In order that the operator for themachine can readily swing the carriers, a depending member is providedfrom the cross bar 27, an arm 34 being shown depending from theconnection 28 o t the cross member and' rigidly secured thereto bysuitable means.

By swinging this arm the'two carriers are thereby caused to oscillate inthe hanger, and by beingproperly assembled. the swinging of thearrndriillv cause the shaft 2Q to be moved toward and from a power shaft35 supported from the ceiling by hangers SG in the usual. manner. Theshaft Q2 is shown as carrying a pulls 37 that is conmci'mi by a belt 38with a pu ley 39 on the shaft V35.; .onsequently, when the handle ismoved in one direction and the shaft Q2 is thereby moved toward thepower shaft the belt 38 will be somewhat slackened, and the movement ofthe arm in the opposite direction will cause the belt to be put underproper driving tension. The shaftQQ is also shown as so ar'- ranged thatthe same oscillation of the carriers will cause the shaft to change itshorizontal position7 and thereby vary its distance from the shaft 3() onthe floor7 which will result in the driving belt 3l to be tensioned orslackened. And this arrangement will result in one movement ot' thedepending arm causing the counter-shaft 22 to be moved nearer to thepower shaft and at the same time be brought'nearer to the driven shaft30, and hence both of the belts 3l and 38 will have Atheir tensionreduced; whilcreverse movement of the arm will so shittthe counter-shaftthat both of the belts will be again put under proper driving tension.

Means are also provided for locking the carriers in their supportinghangers in order that the proper tension on the belts shall bemaintained. Each of the'arms 24 and 25 is provided with a spring pawl4() arranged to vwill therefore be understood t engage teeth 41 on theadjacent part ot the hanger, and as the carriers are swung to 1ncreasethe tension on the belts the pawls will engageithe successive teeth toprevent reverse movement of the carriers. Means are provided extendingdown the depending arm for operating both of the p'awls to release thecarriers. A lever 42 is shown on the lower end of the arm 34, and acable or -to move; but as soon as the handleV is released the pawls willengage the hangersto lock the carriers in adjusted ositions. lit

hat when the two belts are under proper tension to drive thecounter-shaft from the power shaft and from the latter to operate themachindrlsbaft 30, the simple operation of swinging the lever 42 torelease the pawls, and then giving a small swing to the arm 34, willcause the counter-shaft 22 to both move downwardly toward the machineshaft, and to move vtoward the power shaft 35, and will result in lvinga slack to both the horizontal and t e vertical belt. To restore thesebelts to their proper tension requires merely the Swingin of the lever42 in the reverse direction, w en the two pawls will engage the hangersand lock the carriers in position to maintain the proper tension on thebelts. The advantages of such an arrangement are that both of the beltshave their strain relieved by the very simple operation of merelyshifting an arm; and furthermore the strain on the counter-shaft and itsbearings is at once removed, as is also the strain on the main powershalt caused by the tension of the beit 'that [rives the com shatt; andfurthermore the strani on shaft and the bearings ot .he machine on the,door is at once removed. This will result in a great economy in the useci belting, as whenever the machine is stopped for more than a shortperiod ot time, the stress is at once removed from the several belts,and as two belts generallyY connect the power shaft with thecounter-shaft to drive it in connection with a r rsing clutch7 thestrain on tree belts talrcn olii1 by the incre shitting of the dependingarm.

Means are also provided tor adjusting the connection between thedepending` arm and the two carriers; the arm 34 having an adjustableclamp at 50 in the form of a bloeit 5l that is secured to a bracket 52tast on the connecting piece 2S; these two members bcing locked inadjusted positions by a bolt the abuttingi faces of the two membersbeing suitably roughened? such as by'having radial ribs and tintes at54. By this means the handle 34 can be placed at a convenient positionto the operator or the machine cn the loor,

Tsl/Thile but two oit the hangers with the oscillating carriers areshown, it is obviors that these members can be duplicated andintermediate hangers and carriers provided for 'the shaft, tc beconnected with the cross member in the same manner.

Having thus described my inyention, what ot the depending bars each oftthe hangers having teeth engaged by the pawlsj a handle on the lower endof said arm, and connections between the handle and the pawls to swingthe pawls in unison to lool; thecarriers to the hangers.

2. A shaft hanger device comprising a pair of hangers, a carrierrotatively mounted on each ot the hangers with their a: x cc cident, apulley shat't bearing eccentri mounted on each carrieri each carrier inga on one side engaging the hanger, a depending bar i'ast to each carrieron the side opposite the flange and engaging the hanger-to retain thecarrier on the hanger, a transverse bar rigid connecting said oars ableand the bearings in alinement, a depa'Wls to swing thepawls in unisonand lockl pending arm rigidly connected to Said trans the carriers tothe hangers.

verse bar to ing the carriers in unison and Signed by me at Springfield,Mass., in shift them vertically and horizontally, a presence of vtwosubscribing Witnesses.

pawl on each of the depending bars, each of JOHN P. GERMAN. the hangershaving teeth engaged by the lVitnesses: pawls, a handle on the lower endof said arm, G. R. DmsooLL, and connections between thehandle and the J,D. LONG.

i Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of '.Latents, v

' Washington, D. C.

